Blue and Gold Illustrated

August 2017

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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50 AUGUST 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY BRYAN DRISKELL AND LOU SOMOGYI A promising year for Notre Dame's athletics department turned out to be far more up and down than expected. From August 2016 to July 2017, the Fighting Irish saw devastating lows, specifically in football, countered by another strong year in the winter sports. However, virtually any athletic summary or headline-making news in an academic year at Notre Dame is going to mostly involve the foot- ball team. This year was no different, but for the wrong reasons. Here is a recap of the top stories. THE LOST SEASON Last September, Notre Dame en- tered the football season ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press poll and No. 9 in the coaches poll. There was conversation about the Fighting Irish as a bona fide contender for the College Football Playoff in its quest to post consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 1991-93. Alas, the momentum from its 10-3 season in 2015 came to a crashing halt early on. By the end of Septem- ber, following a 1-3 start and a stun- ning home loss to Duke, questions began to revolve on whether or not head coach Brian Kelly would return. The problems began during fall camp when then senior safety Max Redfield and four other teammates TOP 10 STORIES OF 2016-17 Football woes dominated the headlines, but there were positives, too Notre Dame was a preseason top-10 selection in 2016 after finishing 10-3 the year prior, but stumbled to a stunning 4-8 record to become just the fourth Fighting Irish squad (1956, 1960 and 2007 were the others) to finish with at least eight losses. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA

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